Free Dark Flight by Lin Anderson Page A

in water, something might remain lodged there. Her heart quickened as she distinguished what looked like plant hairs or trichomes. She removed them and slid them under the microscope. There were two types of trichomes, fine and coarse. What plant did they belong to?
    ‘Hey!’
    Rhona jumped, startled at Chrissy’s sudden appearance.
    ‘You’re in early.’ Chrissy smothered a yawn.
    ‘The strategy meeting on the torso’s at ten o’clock, and I’m due at GUARD again at nine.’
    ‘Have you checked your email yet?’
    She had been too busy to think about it.
    ‘Sam sent you something about the bones.’
    Chrissy’s expression didn’t herald good news.
    ‘What is it?’
    ‘You’d better read it for yourself.’
    Sam had forwarded his mother’s reply.
    Rhona skimmed it, then began reading it again with a sense of unease. It was a clear warning that anyone touching the bones was in imminent danger.
    Rhona was a scientist through and through, but she knew the power of the spiritual world over those who believed. Sam’s mother believed. And she was frightened.
    The bleaching light of the meeting room rendered Dr Sissons even more stone-like than usual. McNab threw Rhona a glance as she entered and she acknowledged it. Bill Wilson sat at the head of the table with his usual cup of cold coffee, his mind elsewhere. DC Clark looked nervous, shifting in her seat like a child in a classroom under the watchful eye of a teacher.
    If Stephen was dead then it was because the people in this room had not found him in time to prevent it. That was the unspoken thought in everyone’s mind, except perhaps Sissons. He was only responsible for telling them how a victim died.
    Sissons began his report on the torso. He brought up an image on the big screen, the crossed scars clearly visible. There was an audible intake of breath from DC Clark. She was the only person in the room who hadn’t seen the child’s torso. Bill threw her a swift look and she shook her head, indicating she was okay.
    They were subjected to the story of the decapitation and blood letting, the examination of the stomach contents and internal organs.
    ‘The child died within twelve hours of eating his last meal, which was, I am reliably informed fromforensic, a typical Burger King. The boy was also suffering from a parasitic disease known as bilharzia or schistosomiasis. Schistosoma parasites can penetrate the skin of people who wade, swim, bathe, or wash in contaminated water. Within several weeks, worms grow inside the blood vessels of the body and produce eggs. Some of these eggs travel to the bladder or intestines and are passed into the urine or stool. I have sent a specimen to the City Hospital in Edinburgh for confirmation.’
    ‘So the child wasn’t brought up here?’ Bill asked.
    ‘He could have become infected on a visit.’ Dr Sissons motioned to Rhona. ‘Dr MacLeod will be able to deduce from his bone mineral content where he was brought up.’
    Rhona had spent almost an hour with Judy Brown at GUARD. It had proved an interesting meeting. She told the assembled group what she had found out.
    ‘The crossed bones at the scene of the first murder are male, approximately six to eight years old,’ she told them. ‘The study of the mineral content suggests an area near Kano in Northern Nigeria. The torso bones are still being analysed. However . . .’ and here she pulled out the email she’d received from Sam. She explained Sam’s origins and the fact that he’d sent an image of the bones to his mother in Nigeria.
    ‘His mother says,’ Rhona read the email out loud: ‘“Where did you find these? They are very powerful black magic and should not be touched.”’
    ‘Is that all?’ Bill broke the disbelieving silence that followed her words.
    ‘No. There’s more.’ She cleared her throat and read on. ‘“The bones choose their next victim.”’
    ‘What the hell does that mean?’ Bill reached for the email and read out the rest.